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The Siamese is one of the first distinctly recognized breeds of Oriental cat. The exact origins of the breed are unknown, but it is believed to be from Southeast Asia, and is said to be descended from the sacred temple cats of Siam (now Thailand).

a slender short-haired blue-eyed breed of cat having a pale coat with dark ears paws face and tail tip

(Siamese Cats (Lady and the Tramp)) Lady and the Tramp is a 1955 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and released to theaters on June 22, 1955, by Buena Vista Distribution.

T Shirt is a 1976 album by Loudon Wainwright III. Unlike his earlier records, this (and the subsequent 'Final Exam') saw Wainwright adopt a full blown rock band (Slowtrain) - though there are acoustic songs on T-Shirt, including a talking blues.

A short-sleeved casual top, generally made of cotton, having the shape of a T when spread out flat

A T-shirt (T shirt or tee) is a shirt which is pulled on over the head to cover most of a person's torso. A T-shirt is usually buttonless and collarless, with a round neck and short sleeves.

A long time ago, Steve and I rescued the tiny kitten you see in the upper left inset. (And that was taken after he'd been fed for a week and had grown!).

The main photo is Mr. December from a cat calendar that was published a few years ago. Yup, same cat.

Finally, below is a blog post I wrote long ago, about how Lucky got to become Vanilla and got the best cat home ever.

Thursday, April 27, 2000

Once upon a time, several moons ago, I was walking down to the store on the corner near our house. And as I got closer, I realized that the cries I was hearing were not from a baby in one of the houses I passed. Nearing the busy intersection, the cries got louder, and I finally found their source; a tiny dirty-white form at the edge of the road, watching the intersection intently while doing an incredible cover of Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" at full volume. During a break in the traffic, I scooped him up while noticing that he was still watching the intersection, and saw another tiny being crossing it silently and unsteadily. I scooped him up, too.

I took the two kittens into the store with me and began pleading with the other customers to offer them a home. We had two Siamese at home, one of them rather new himself, and I knew it wouldn't work. A man took the gray one; he was cleaner, less vocal, and altogether more attractive. I couldn't find a taker for the scruffy loud white one, so I picked up some baby supplies, which the store clerk then insisted I take for free, and took him home. I didn't know what to expect when I came into the house from this unique shopping trip, but luckily enough Steve fell in love with the little guy as quickly as I did, and he was soon being called "Lucky." Despite my declarations that night, I wasn't able to take him to the shelter the next day. We decided to give it a week or so, and try to find a home ourselves. In the meantime, we had to try to get Lucky back on track. He had all the classic symptoms of emaciation, and I worried that without IV fluids he wouldn't last the night.

But on entering the room the next morning, it was clear that he still had a lot of lung power, still singing his tune. We got equipment to feed him...he wasn't actually weaned, but, disgusted with our bottle feeding attempts, he learned to eat solid food quickly, stabbing at it with his tiny mouth. We estimated that he was only about 4 weeks old when we found him.

It ended up taking a little longer than I had hoped to find Lucky a home. Lucky for me, Steve pitched right in with all of the care, and the kitten thrived. He still tried to nurse by sucking on our shirts, and if permitted he would race up your chest to give you a nice bite on the nose; perhaps noses looked like giant milk-filled nipples he may have dreamed of. It certainly seemed that way from his insistance. But as much as we loved him, it was too much to ask of Buddy and Scout to take him in permanently ourselves.

One of my co-workers had told me of a friend and neighbor, Elena, who had saved many cats, and had about a dozen of them in her house and garden. I had no idea that this might be Lucky's new home...but it turned out that she was looking for a companion for Waldorf, himself a very young kitten admist many grown cats. Soon it was arranged, and I was relieved that we'd mananged to find not only a home, but a wonderful one.

Time passed; I saw pictures and heard stories about the newly christened Vanilla. But nothing prepared me for the video we saw tonight.

Imagine a lovely garden, with flowers, trees, a pool surrounded by rocks. And imagine cats appearing, one by one...happy, healthy cats. And in the video, Elena appears, carrying a large white lively cat with yellow Siamese markings.

There was more. I think Steve and I were both alternating between shouting hurrahs and getting teary. As Steve said, "That's the BEST thing we've ever done." It had, frankly, been a crappy week, and this was exactly what I needed to see to feel happy about something. Vanilla is a wonderful big bundle of potential trouble, as all good cats should be...in the video we can still see some of the personality that we saw when he fit into the palm of our hand. And it's clear that he has the best possible home in the world.

Kim and Bonnie, you made our week by shooting that video. And Eleana, I can't tell you how much happiness you've given us, just by taking in a tiny kitten.

And Vanilla, you...well, it's probably best not to encourage that ego of yours...

Cat Teeter Totter

I'm not one to post pictures of the cats online because, well, that pretty much seems like post desperation. Unless they can do stuff like scuba dive or leap from telephone poles or something. In this case, the cat makes it into the shot only incidentally. What I really want to show you is the "Hartz Cat Teeter Totter".

My mother is very good to me. Often when she comes to visit she brings with her a box of this and that she has picked up for me along the way. Socks or a shirt, a book maybe or a baking pan she thought was interesting. I score pretty well when mom rolls into town. But I've got nothing on my cats.

At Christmas, they will get a bag with little cats toys individually wrapped in crepe paper. Sometimes it'll be weeks in the opening as they pluck something out now and again and shred their way to a bell with a feather attached or a crocheted mouse (store bought - she's not that out there).There have been occasions where she has hidden toys for the cats that I don't know about until they come trotting in with a sequined fish months after mom tucked it away under the guest bed. It all sounds a little silly, I know, but I think that's pretty cool of mom to do and the cats seem to enjoy themselves, especially since my idea of getting them a toy is to not throw away a sock that has a hole in the toe.

But every once is a while something shows up in that box that seems a little over the top. Not extravagant, mind you. Generally this stuff has clearance bin stickers or is naturally cheap. I mean over the top in a "why does a cat need this" way. A couple of years ago there was a motion sensitive plastic mouse that made really irritating sounds and automatically scurried away. I'm afraid I might've accidentally thrown that in the trash on day two.

So this week we have the "Hartz Cat Teeter Totter". Took me fifteen minutes to unpack and assemble, including filling up the water filled totter spirit level. Its teeter to totter range is about 3 inches and I can't fathom these animals working out that kind of partnership. It does have some feathers on it and a fuzzy ball hanging down, so that might bring some interest. I figure it is designed to appeal to people who overestimate cats.

I hope I don't seem ungrateful. I really like that my mom treats them so well and we'd all be disappointed if she stopped. But sometimes...

So maybe they're interested in this thing, maybe they're not. Either way, does it reside in my living room now? It is possible it will accidentally get thrown away very soon. But I'll hang on to the fuzzy ball. Can't have enough of those.

On a final note, I will complete your visualization by telling you that I have two cats, both Siamese. I think it would be funnier, however, if this story ended with a much higher number, say fourteen cats. Let's say that instead. I have fourteen cats.